France: Macron beats Le Pen to win second term

French President Emmanuel Macron defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen on Sunday by a comfortable margin, securing a second term.

According to Reuters, European leaders also welcomed the news that pro-European Union Macron and not nationalist eurosceptic Le Pen had won.

Pollsters projected Macron securing around 58.5% of the vote. Such estimates are normally accurate but may be fine-tuned as official results come in.

Le Pen, who at one stage of the campaign had trailed Macron by just a few points in opinion polls, quickly admitted defeat but vowed to keep up the fight, with parliamentary elections looming in June.

The nature of Macron's second term will be heavily influenced by the outcome of parliamentary elections in June. Le Pen said she aimed for a strong contingent in the assembly while hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon said he wants to be the Prime Minister.

Macron will join a small club - only two French presidents before him have managed to secure a second term. But his margin of victory looks to be tighter than when he first beat Le Pen in 2017, underlining how many French remain unimpressed with him and his domestic record.

SS